


Night Terror

by Myou



Series: FellPoth Short Stories and One-Shots [5]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Burglary, Character Death, Comfort, Couch Cuddles, FellPoth - Freeform, Lurik, M/M, Nightmares, Short Story, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-24 06:46:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30068268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myou/pseuds/Myou
Summary: Lotus and Rurik are forced to fight off some late-night intruders.
Relationships: Rurik/Lotus
Series: FellPoth Short Stories and One-Shots [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2210445
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Character death, blood (marrow), swearing

Rurik was woken by the sound of muffled footsteps downstairs. Assuming it was Lotus puttering about in the kitchen, he rubbed the sleep from his sockets and glanced at the clock on his phone; the display read 1:13 am... his partner usually didn't get up to make breakfast until six. Searching his groggy mind for an answer, he settled on a nightmare being the most plausible. In any case, if his boyfriend wasn't in the room pestering him to wake up, he could only assume it wasn't a bad one.

Content to get a few more hours of shuteye, he rolled over to go back to sleep... but a muffled voice, one that was far too low and rough to belong to Lotus, had his sockets shooting open again. With his senses now on high alert, he jumped out of bed; snatching his knife holster off the nightstand in the process, he crept to the door.

Pushing the door open slightly, multiple hushed voices joined the footfalls. Through the landing's balusters, beams of light could be seen sweeping around the first floor; from the looks of it, some dumbasses had broken into the house.

Lamenting his lost sleep, Rurik eased the door open enough for him to slip through and snuck out onto the landing. He tensed as a nearby shadowed figure startled at his entrance onto the landing, but before he could lash out, the dim shine of a solitary red eye light revealed it was only Lotus. His silhouette was barely recognizable in the bulky black hoodie and sweatpants that made up his sleepwear, a stark contrast from his sleek cloak and scarf. He must have been woken up by noise downstairs as well.

Lotus seemed to visibly relax, going back to watching the scene below from his spot overlooking the first floor... though his eye light and the barely audible rattle of bones still gave away his nerves. Keeping low, Rurik took up a spot next to him. Catching each other's glances, he pointed down, held up five fingers, then shifted the scythe next to him and held up two fingers; five intruders, two of which were armed.

Rurik knew he would be fine down there, but his partner's scythe was too unwieldy for a brawl inside a house. Lotus wasn't suited for close combat anyways... maybe they could use a pincer attack to overwhelm their 'guests'; he would fight on the ground floor while cover fire was provided by bone constructs from the safety of the upper landing. Silently relayed the plan, he waited for a nod of confirmation before standing up and pulling his knife free from its holster. He wouldn't bother with the stairs; a quick drop onto his first target would give him the element of surprise and preferably send the rest into a panic.

He vaulted over the railing once a shadow got into position below, landing square on top of them and smirking at the startled yelp they produced as he sunk his knife into its target. Yanking the knife out, he found his footing and scanned his surroundings for the next closest target. A whoosh beside him let him know his first victim _was_ a monster; now it was a sad pile of dust.

Four left.

Four figures rushed toward him; one stopped short as another next to them was impaled by a set of jagged bones and dusted moments later. Risking a glance upward as he parried a knife strike, Rurik spotted Lotus preparing a second volley of bones; unfortunately, the one that stopped had broken off to make his way up the stairs.

"Incoming!" Rurik warned his partner, quickly focusing back on his own two enemies. One slashed at him with what appeared to be claws, prompting him to sidestep their attack and plunge the knife into their back, earning a satisfying howl of pain and another whoosh of dust.

Two more.

This enemy was much quicker than the other, matching Rurik's counters and dodges with his own. If it weren't for the fact that he was fighting for his and Lotus's lives, this might have actually been a fun sparring match; it was a pity he would have to kill the guy-

"Rurik, up!" Lotus's voice cut through his focus; the panic laced in it jarred him from the rhythm he had fallen into. Looking up, he just barely avoided the enemy that had intended to drop down for a sneak attack. Rurik rounded on the new adversary, only to grunt as a knife from the enemy he had been fighting previously tore into his right clavicle. He slashed outward to gain some distance, hissing at the flash of pain the movement caused.

The enemy attempted to advance once more, jumping back as jagged bones from Lotus rained from the upper landing. The jumper cried out as one of the bones stabbed into their right leg, pinning them into the floor; Rurik lunged forward, finishing the job and leaving the solitary enemy standing in the dust-strewn living room.

The last one.

As Rurik stepped forward, the remaining figure seemed to think better of their situation and bolted for the door, wrenching it open and disappearing into the night. The skeleton stomped toward the open door, gripping the frame. He shouted, "Yeah, run like the coward you are! Next time, _stay_ out you piece of shit." Inspecting the door, he discovered the lock had been scratched up and broken beyond repair, "Great, that'll need to be replaced."

A dim light clicked on behind him as he slammed the door closed. He turned to see Lotus rushing from his now-illuminated bedroom and down the stairs with a white box under his arm; flicking the living room's light switch on as he hit the ground floor, he strode over to the couch, "Come sit down."

"I'm fine; worry about your own injury," Rurik replied, gesturing to the cut on the smaller's cheek.

Lotus glared at him, clenching the handle on top of the box, "You're injury is worse. I know you don't like it, but no matter how tough you think are, you still need to get that wound treated so it doesn't become infected."

"I'm. Fine," Rurik bit out as he glared right back.

Lotus closed his sockets, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly before opening them once more, "Rurik, please."

Rurik debated refusing a third time... but the way his companion's glare fell into something sadder drained the will to argue out of him. With a huff of resignation, he made his way over and flopped onto the couch next to Lotus.

The skeleton pulled aside the strap of Rurik's the black tank top to get a better look at the injury, which was now slowly leaking marrow. "Hmm...," his sockets furrowed as he mumbled, "it looks like the cut's almost completely through your collarbone." Pulling out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball, he unscrewed the cap, tipped the bottle against the cotton, and capped the bottle, setting it aside.

"I'll need to clean the area; this might sting a bit," Lotus warned, scooting closer; true to his words, the rubbing alcohol burned into the cut as he cleaned it. Rurik flinched, gritting his teeth and fighting the desire to pull away from each swipe. Luckily, the cotton ball was quickly replaced with some gauze and a bandage.

As Lotus replaced the unused supplies and carried the medkit back upstairs, he let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and moved his top's strap back into place on his shoulder.

Glancing around the room, it looked like the would-be burglars hadn't managed to do more than rummage around in a few drawers and closets, and nothing looked to be missing; there was some damage to the walls and floor in addition to the broken deadbolt, along with blood and dust scattered around the room that would need to be cleaned up... but all in all, the outcome was manageable.

He watched as Lotus came back down the stairs, a new bandage on his right cheek... it really drove home how much worse things could have been. Rurik shook the thought from his mind before it developed into something more vivid.

"So, what now?" Lotus asked, taking a seat next to him.

"Well... it's too damn early and I'm tired as hell, so I'm going to bed; the lock can be dealt with in the morning," Rurik stated, standing and trudging up the staircase as he stretched, "You com-ngh!" At least, he attempted to stretch until his injured collarbone reminded him not to.

"I...," Lotus paused. Rurik stopped halfway up the stairs to stare when the silence stretched on; the smaller monster's gaze never left the door as he said, "I think I'm going to stay up for a bit."

"Suit yourself. Night," the taller shrugged, traversing the remaining stairs and passing Lotus's room to reach his own. After what happened, his companion probably just needed a couple of minutes to settle down.

Rurik yawned as he shut the door to his bedroom, crossing the room and falling onto the bed while avoiding his injured shoulder. Rolling onto his uninjured side he absently tapped the phone's display; 1:47 am, plenty of time to sleep.

Pulling up the covers, he closed his sockets and emptied his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two restless souls...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Swearing

Rurik shot up, his soul racing and his bones rattling; an uncomfortable heat radiated from him. His eye lights darted around, taking in his silent bedroom, now illuminated with the first rays of morning light peeking through the window.

His soul calmed and the burning sensation ebbed as seconds ticked by and nothing happened; there were no enemies, no fighting, no blood... no dusty red scarf. The memory of Lotus's pained expression; his boyfriend's last words flitted through his mind. Growling to himself, Rurik sat up and snatched his phone off the nightstand. It was 6:32 am.

He scrubbed his face with his free hand, letting out a slow exhale as he clenched his sockets. It was just a nightmare; nothing happened. There was nothing to get worked up over; it wasn't real. No one died other than the intruders earlier; it was... too quiet.

Rurik sat in bed, listening for the telltale noises of cooking... or anything at all. An eerie silence seemed to echo through the house, pressing in on him. Normally, he wouldn't be bothered; now though, the lack of sound slowly but surely ate away at all rational thought, filling him with a sense of dread as his soul picked up speed once more.

Throwing off the covers, the skeleton made a beeline for the door. He slammed open the door to his room, nearly sending himself over the railing opposite his room in his haste. Looking down, his starry eye lights homed in on a small figure sitting on the couch... Lotus. His hood was pulled up over his skull, his eye light nearly invisible if not for the glow. He looked like he had been sitting curled in a ball, his scythe grasped tightly in his left hand prior to Rurik's entrance; now, his upper body was turned toward the back of the couch, staring up at his companion with a look of veiled panic.

He was startled, but very much alive; it was just a bad dream.

Rurik felt his body relax, with Lotus seemingly following suit. His companion's focus redirected to the clock on the wall, "Sorry... I lost track of time. I'll make breakfast."

He flinched at the apology as Lotus unsummoned his weapon and began to crawl off the couch. "Don't," Rurik interrupted, "This morning was pretty hectic and I'm already hungry, so I'll just find something quick to eat instead."

Lotus muttered a quiet agreement, re-tucking his knees to his chest as Rurik tromped down the stairs and into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he spotted a few chocolate pudding cups. He reached in with a pleased grin, nearly closing the fridge with his prize in hand when his eye lights fell on his boyfriend once more. The monster was still curled up on the couch, his tired gaze fixed on... the door; had he been staring at it all night?

Growling softly, Rurik reached in for a second cup, closed the fridge, and retrieved two spoons from the silverware drawer. Returning to the living room, he inspected his partner.

Lotus looked even worse up close; his eye light had returned to its normal size, but it looked hazy around the edges, outlined by the dark rings under his sockets. He was clearly fighting the need to sleep, his arms wrapped around his tucked legs in a feeble attempt to prop himself up; all the while, he watched the door intently.

"You haven't moved from this spot since I went to bed, have you?" Rurik asked, tearing open his pudding cup and digging his spoon into it. He furrowed his sockets when the smaller silently confirmed that he had, in fact, not slept. Tossing the extra unopened pudding, it bounced off Lotus's leg before settling on the couch next to him; the skeleton stared at it as the taller flopped onto the couch and thrust a spoon in front of his face, "At least eat some food; you look like shit."

The smaller skeleton took the spoon without a fight, reaching for the snack and tearing open the top. Rurik frowned as he watched his companion slowly eat in silence, their eye light darting up every so often; was Lotus acting like this because of the intruders? It made no sense; he had been in life-or-death fights before and was no stranger to fighting or injuries, having patched up many of them himself. What had him so on edge now? What was different?

"This psycho-whatsit bullshit is giving me a headache," Rurik grumbled. Finishing his pudding, he decided to ask straight out, "What's going on with you? You're acting like the door's going to jump up and bite you."

"Sorry...," Lotus apologized again, earning an unseen scowl, "It's... you said the lock was broken; I wanted to make sure the guy that ran off didn't come back. After screwing up this morning, I figured I should do something to make up for it."

"Screwing up? What the hell are you talking about?" Rurik pressed; his earlier nightmare gradually crept back to the front of his mind despite his desire to forget.

"I wasn't able to take care of the guy that came after me, and even though I tried to warn you when they jumped down, you still got hurt...," Lotus's eye light darted up to Rurik's bandaged collarbone, then shifted back down as he clutched at his pant leg; his frame trembled as he murmured, "If I was stronger... if I was a better fighter, I could have prevented it... but I didn't; I failed to pull my weight. I could've done more, but... I was-"

_' I'm... sorry... I'm so... useless...'_

Rurik could almost hear the Lotus from his nightmare overlap with the monster in front of him, creating a haunting duet. Suppressing another growl, he reached over and plucked his partner from their seat and pulled them into his lap.

Lotus squeaked, nearly dropping his pudding, "Ru-"

"You're not useless," Rurik cut in, holding the smaller to his chest, "I was keeping track of the kill count; I might have taken more out, but you managed to kill one and crippled another for me. _My_ injury was because I wasn't paying enough attention to my surroundings; your warning and interference are the reason my injury isn't worse... as for that dumbass, he wouldn't dare come back after the beating we handed out."

Gauging his companion, it seemed Lotus still wasn't convinced. "They came as a group of five enemies and left as a single coward with his tail tucked between his legs; we both came out of the fight alive with only minor injuries," he reasoned, reaching up and brushing his thumb against the bandage on the smaller's right cheek, "You know why that is?"

"Because you're strong..."

"Because we're a team," Rurik corrected, "We work together and make up for what the other lacks. I may be strong, but I wouldn't have been able to fight them all by myself; you being there to provide cover fire kept the group scattered enough that they couldn't swarm me, and the warning saved me from getting pinned down and run through.

"As far as I'm concerned, you pulled your weight. Now finish your pudding so you can take a nap; you look exhausted and I don't need you making yourself sick. I have nowhere I need to be today, so I can keep an eye socket on things while you sleep. After you wake up, we can see about getting a new deadbolt and fixing the door."

"But if they do come back-"

"Then I'll be here, and we'll kick their asses all over again. Just like you warned me, I'll do the same for you," Rurik assured the skeleton in his lap.

Lotus's expression still held some uncertainty, but it made no sense; he knew Rurik could handle a fight, so why was he worried... about...

Something clicked in his mind, "... This is about them breaking into the house, isn't it?"

Bingo; Lotus looked down at his pudding cup, seeming to mull over the question before nodding his head, "I never... they got in so easily. This is _our_ house; our safe space, and they just... _came in_ , and tried to kill us. Yeah, we took care of it _this time_ , but with a lock being the only thing keeping them out, what's stopping it from happening again... from ending worse next time?"

Rurik opened his mouth to refute his partner's worries, pausing when he found he really couldn't guarantee something like this would never happen again. They lived in a rough-and-tumble world, after all; there were never any guarantees, only precautions.

"Would it make you feel better if we got some additional locks for the front door as well as a new deadbolt? A chain lock or a security bolt?" he proposed instead.

The monster in his lap glanced over to the door, mumbling, "Maybe an alarm...?"

"Alright, we can shop around and see what's available, but you have to eat and get some rest before we go anywhere," the taller decided before teasingly adding, "I can't have my little flower falling over himself outside; might give people ideas."

Lotus grumbled, spooning the pudding into his mouth to cover his embarrassment as the taller monster laughed; he could be so adorable when he was grumpy. Once the snack was finished, Rurik took it and the spoon, stacking it in his own empty container. Leaning back to find a comfortable position for the both of them, his boyfriend was eventually sandwiched comfortably between him and the cushions lining the back of the couch; the smaller yawned, resting their head against his shoulder with their arms curled upon his chest.

Even with exhaustion nagging at him and Rurik's attempts to soothe his nerves, it still took Lotus nearly half an hour before he could relax and fall into an uneasy sleep. Studying his sleeping companion's face, he could already spot trouble, at least for the next few days.

Now that he thought about it, Lotus's room came before his on the landing; that needs to change. The idea of someone being able to sneak into his boyfriend's room without having to go past him first... he felt anger bubbling up at the thought. Unfortunately, all of his furniture as too big to fit in a regular room, so switching rooms wouldn't work; a bunch of locks on their bedroom door would be too cumbersome... so that leaves having them move into his room.

He contemplated the idea as he played with one of the cords of Lotus's hoodie, lazily twining it around his finger. Space wouldn't be a problem since he had a master bedroom, and his companion didn't have much in the way of possessions anyway; it was only a matter of convincing them to share a sleeping space with him. He knew he would certainly feel better if he was able to confirm they were nearby and safe at a moment's notice while also making sure his partner was actually sleeping rather than pulling sentry duty all night.

Carefully reaching for the remote, he turned on the T.V., lowering the volume and flipping through channels as he let the idea simmer. Lotus shifted at the movement, unfurling one arm to wrap around Rurik's chest; letting out a sigh of content, the monster cuddled in closer and settled back into slumber.

He pressed a light kiss against his boyfriend's skull, tightening his grip around their back and upper body before returning his attention back to the T.V. and smiling. Sharing a room with Lotus... yeah, he liked that idea.


End file.
